The Polish Student Association (PSA) hosted the first Global Café this year Sept. 17 at the Pyle Center, serving pączki.
Last year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s International Student Services (ISS) hosted 11 Global Cafés, interactive events centered around food and conversation, with over 700 total attendees throughout the year, Allison Streckenbach, transitions coordinator at ISS said.
The event first began with an idea to create a space where people from different backgrounds could connect.
“[Global Café] quickly grew because attendees enjoyed the opportunity to meet others, learn about different cultures and just hang out in a welcoming environment,” Streckenbach said, explaining it is now a regular, biweekly event that brings a whole community together.
As part of the event, two of PSA’s members, Erik Irzenski and Jan Grzywacz, led an information session about a Polish dessert: pączki. The pastry was served at the meeting with various flavor options, including cherry, strawberry and apple. The presentation focused on the Polish history and traditions of celebrating Tłusty Czwartek, also known as Fat Thursday.
“PSA is primarily composed of Polish-American students, but there are also members in Polish classes,” Grzywacz, co-president of PSA, said. “Everybody there has some attachment or curiosity about Poland, but our focus is to make a space and create events for us to hang out.”
He said his favorite thing about PSA is the people. “I love seeing the younger classes, like the sophomores and juniors, they’re really into it… They’re super enthusiastic about PSA,” Grzywacz said. “That wasn’t really a thing my freshman year, so to see PSA kind of grow has been really inspiring.”
Alan Zarzycki, an undergraduate senior and long-term member of PSA, said, “PSA is one of those organizations where, even if you’re not Polish or if you are Polish, you’ll find some way to be part of a community.”
Many students attending the event agreed Global Café is valuable, in both an educational and a social sense. “You can learn a thing or two about other cultures,” Grzywacz said. “It’s got free food, but it’s also got a learning aspect to it. With how they’re running it now, when you come to Global Cafe, you’re here to learn.”
Streckenbach agreed that Global Café is a fun and easy way for students to connect outside of the classroom. “The events make it easy for students to meet others they might not otherwise have the chance to, and it's a reminder that we’re all part of a larger, global community,” Streckenbach said.
In the past few years since it has begun, Global Café has created many memories for attendees. “Everybody always enjoys different cultures,” Zarzycki said. “Everyone can feel like they’re connected no matter where they are in the world.”
Streckenbach agreed. “For me, the best part [of Global Café] is seeing people genuinely connect, whether it’s through trying a new food, sharing stories or learning about a new culture,” she said.
She added her favorite Global Café memory was transporting 264 buns from Asian Sweet Bakery in her car and having to cut them right before the event started. “We had so many treats for people to try, my car smelled like pineapple buns for days — which I loved — and we got to support a small, local business,” Streckenbach said.
ISS plans to host five more Global Cafés this semester. The next one will be hosted by the Chinese Language and Culture Club on Oct. 1.
